


Worth it.

by Kivea



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Office, Fluff, Humour, M/M, Trapped In Elevator, romcom
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-30
Updated: 2017-09-30
Packaged: 2019-01-07 08:32:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,062
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12229290
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kivea/pseuds/Kivea
Summary: ‘Keith!’ Lance greeted with fake gusto. ‘What a pleasant surprise! Are you late for work too?’‘Yes.’‘Is that why you decided you didn’t have time to hold the elevator for me?’The starry eyes flickered to him for a moment. ‘You got here, didn’t you?’Lance felt a stab of irritation. This guy.





	Worth it.

**Author's Note:**

> I wanted a dumb little thing 
> 
> Here's a dumb little thing.

Lance was running late. 

Well, by his standards he was running late. He knew that Allura didn’t expect him in until half past, but he liked to try get there at least half an hour early in hopes that she’d let him build up some flexitime and leave early on Fridays. Which she almost always did. Because she was just amazing like that. 

She was also very fair however, and if he didn’t manage to build up the hours then he knew she wouldn’t let him take a flyer on Friday, which was  _very_ important this week. It was his niece’s birthday this weekend. He hadn’t bought her a present yet, and if he didn’t get something good he would lose his title as Worlds Best Uncle. 

She was a fickle sort. 

He breathed a sigh of relief as he stepped into the building and saw one of the elevators open and going up. He shouted out for the elevator to be held. Two violet eyes peered out and he felt a flash of fear as he recognised their shape instantly. 

One pale hand moved to the control panel of the lift and began punching at the close door button repeatedly. 

That  _bastard_. 

Lance flung himself across the hall. He dived in as the doors started closing, the toes on his left foot getting clipped as he did so, before they closed with a finality and he was left in the lift probably more out of breath than he should be facing the jet black haired perpetrator who wasn’t looking at him, instead facing the doors with a stubborn scowl. 

It was  _on_. 

‘Keith!’ Lance greeted with fake gusto. ‘What a pleasant surprise! Are you late for work too?’ 

‘Yes.’ 

‘Is that why you decided you didn’t have time to  _hold the elevator for me_?’ 

The starry eyes flickered to him for a moment. ‘You got here, didn’t you?’

Lance felt a stab of irritation. This guy. This  _fucking guy_. 

It was an act of pure spite. He could hear Allura’s voice in the back of his mind asking why he was so insistent on petty childishness when it came to his colleague. He ignored her. She could lecture him later when he didn’t feel like there was a fire in his chest. 

He pressed all the buttons. All of them. 

‘What-?!’ Keith’s cool façade dropped in an instant. ‘What the hell are you doing?!’ 

‘Sorry. My hand slipped.’ 

‘Your hand  _slipped_?’ Keith questioned. 

‘Yup.’ 

‘I can’t believe this,’ he muttered as he ran a hand through his dumb mullet. ‘There’s something wrong with you. Like, seriously wrong with you.’ 

‘I mean we wouldn’t have this problem if you weren’t such a jackass.’ 

‘I’m the jackass?! Now we’re  _both_ going to be late!’ 

Lance checked his wristwatch and hummed. ‘Nah, I don’t start for another twenty five minutes.’ 

‘What the fuck?!’ 

‘I guess I have plenty of time. You might want to ring your boss though. Unless,’ Lance gestured as the lift declared they’d reached the next floor and the doors opened. ‘You’d like to go and use a different elevator.’ 

Keith stared at him with an intensity that had Lance declaring victory in his head. He always tried  _so hard_ to be  _so much better_ than Lance, even though they both knew he was a hothead. It was refreshing to feel that fight back that the man had. Thrilling. Definitely not time wasting at all. 

Keith stepped forward, eyes never leaving Lance’s blue ones. He raised a finger and pressed down on the close door button, getting a little bit too close for comfort in the process. 

‘I have time,’ he ground out. 

* * *

It was awkward. 

Lance wasn’t sure he regretted anything so much in his life. He probably did have things he regretted more but standing in the elevator in that moment they were all overshadowed by the sheer weight of the glare that was pointed in his direction. He did his best to ignore it, but after three flights it was beginning to become oppressive. 

‘Why does our building even have this many floors?’ 

Keith continued to glare. 

‘You know when you think about it, this is entirely your fault.’ 

He swore he heard a growl. 

‘Like, you totally started it.’ 

‘Are you actually  _twelve_?’ 

Lance paused. He looked at Keith. Keith looked back at him. 

‘You know what,’ Keith brought his hand to his face to pinch the bridge of his nose. ‘Don’t answer that. In fact, just stop talking. That’d be great.’ 

‘But  _Keith_ ,’ Lance sang with a smirk. ‘You have the perfect opportunity to get to know the most talented, wonderful member of the sales department right here! Why would you possibly want me to  _stop talking_?’ 

He didn’t miss a beat. ‘I didn’t know Allura was here.’ 

‘Wow. Ouch. That cuts deep, bro.’ 

Keith went back to glaring and Lance went back to praying that when they arrived, Shiro wouldn’t be too upset with him for making his employee late. 

* * *

‘How about we play a game?’ 

‘No.’ 

‘We could play a guessing game! Oh-or Would You Rather! Go back to that theme of getting to know each other better.’ 

‘No.’ 

‘It’s okay if you’re shy, I’ll ease you into it. I’m pretty talented at that.’ 

‘Remove your elbow from my shoulder.’ 

‘Alright, alright. Note to self: Grumpy McMullet does not do casual friendship-touches.’ 

‘I am not grumpy.’ 

‘I mean the look on your face says otherwise.’ 

‘You  _trapped me_ in a  _lift with you_ when I’m already running late for work!’ Keith threw his arms in the air. ‘Why would I not be grumpy right now?!’ 

Lance sighed dramatically. He could totally smooth this over. ‘It’ll be a good way to pass the time. I promise. If you do it, I’ll stop putting salt packets in the sugar tin for like, two weeks.’ 

‘That was  _you_?’ 

Lance blanched. Shit. He rumbled himself. 

‘I’m honestly not surprised. Fine. I’ll play your dumb question game.’ 

‘Alright!’ Lance pursed his lips as he began to think, the door opening to floor ten. ‘Would you rather…be colour blind, or sensitive to light?’ 

Keith raised a brow, but didn’t comment on the question choice. ‘Sensitive to light. Sunglasses exist.’ 

‘Fair. Your turn.’ 

The man shifted and shoved his hands into his jacket pockets as he looked around the lift for inspiration. ‘Uh…would you rather…be able to fly or read minds?’ 

Lance scrunched up his face. Damn. He had to think about that one. ‘Fly.’ 

‘Why?’ 

‘I like to keep an air of mystery in my social interactions. Also, I regularly fantasise about how much easier my life would be if I could fly to work instead of getting the bus in-like I think public transport is a blessing and everything but not at half seven when rush hour is about to start but there’s still drunk college students hanging around the bus stop.’ 

Keith nodded. 

‘Let me see, let me see, would you rather…listen to one of Coran’s speeches on Australian wildlife, or have Shiro give you the “I’m not mad, just disappointed talk”?’ 

The shorter man grimaced and visibly shivered. ‘Ugh. I’ve had too many of those talks over my lifetime. I’ll take Coran’s speeches.’ 

‘What, really?’ 

‘Yeah. I can drown it out at least and just be bored. Shiro? Man, he makes you feel like the whole world is crumbling around you.’ 

‘I suppose he is your superior, isn’t he? You have to deal with him more than I do.’ 

The lift stopped. The pair looked up at the number still flickering signalling they were about to get to the sixth floor. 

The lights went out. 

‘Alright,  _Lance_ , I have one for you.’ 

The brunette squeezed his eyes shut and braced himself. ‘Yeah?’ 

‘Would you rather I killed you through poison when you didn’t expect it, or do you prefer a good old fashioned  _stabbing_?’

* * *

Shiro was thoroughly unsympathetic. 

Keith rang him to explain what had happened as Lance rang through to the Help Point on the lift which just was  _not picking up_. From what he gathered through snippets of Keith’s conversation with Shiro, it sounded like the usual guys who dealt with that sort of thing were away from the desk on a different issue in the communications department and wouldn’t be able to get to them right away. 

‘How long will they be?’ 

Keith’s voice still held irritation, but there was some kind of reluctant acceptance in it. Lance watched him pace as he spoke on the phone. 

‘Fine. I guess I’ll just sit here with Lance until then.’ 

His ears picked up at the sound of his name, though whatever Shiro had replied with left Keith even more annoyed. 

‘Thank you,  _Shiro_ , for your  _input_. I’ll tell him to ring Allura.’ 

He put his phone away and they were left with the dim light of the emergency exit sign. Lance considered his options. He should ring Allura, it was a fair point, because from the sounds of things he probably would actually be late now. He should probably also apologise seeing as in a round about way this was kind of almost his fault. 

‘Shiro said that Hunk is busy with some stuff. He’s going to be about half an hour. I guess we have to just sit tight until then.’ 

Great. Half an hour. That was wonderful. 

‘I guess you should ring your boss and let them know.’ 

‘Yeah, about that,’ Lance shrugged helplessly. ‘I may not have my phone on me.’ 

‘What?’ 

He gave a nervous laugh. ‘Well I was in a rush to leave this morning and couldn’t find it anywhere so I just…left? Without it?’ 

‘You can operate without your phone?’ 

‘I’m not Pidge, I can function without having my phone in my pocket, thanks.’ 

‘I thought you said you had twenty five minutes when you got in the lift? Why were you in a rush?’ 

He shrugged. ‘I need to get off early on Friday. Big date.’ 

‘Right. Of course.’ 

‘It’s…’ he bit down on his lip. ‘It’s my niece’s birthday this weekend and I need to get her a gift.’ 

‘You’ve left it a little late, haven’t you?’ 

‘Yes! I get it! I’m the worlds worst uncle! It’s me!’ he sighed and found a comfortable spot on the floor to  _collapse_ on. ‘I am a failure. I’ll go for the stabbing death. Just make it swift.’ 

There was silence and some shuffling as Keith began to move. Lance glanced out the corner of his eye to see the man making himself comfortable on the floor next to him, shedding the heavy looking jacket and tossing it off to one corner. 

‘Do you know what to get her?’ 

‘Not at all. Nada. My brain is blank.’ 

‘Well,’ Keith cleared his throat. ‘We have half an hour. I guess now is good a time as any.’ 

That took him by surprise. 

‘Unless you don’t want help? I mean-I don’t know how much help I’d even be, but-!’ 

‘That’d be nice,’ Lance spoke softer than he planned with a gentle smile on his face. ‘I’d appreciate it.’ 

* * *

‘I still think you should get her a cat.’ 

‘My sister would kill me if I took a cat round.’ 

‘Keep it at your house. It’ll live with you, but belong to her.’ 

Lance raised a brow, turning away from the screen above their heads. ‘Wouldn’t that make it my cat?’ 

‘Don’t ruin my dreams, Lance. It’d technically be her cat. In name.’ 

‘Yeah, name only.’ 

‘What about this,’ Keith gestured at his phone screen. ‘Kids like bikes, right?’ 

‘I cannot afford a bike. At least not a  _good_ bike. I wouldn’t want to get her a shitty bike.’ 

Keith scowled and continued to scroll. 

They had wound up lying down side by side on the floor, their shoulders pressed together and their heads close enough that when Keith moved too fast his hair brushed against Lance’s ear. It had only been ten minutes tops, but it felt like longer and shorter all at once. Keith was oddly focused on scrolling through kid’s toy store websites in order to find the perfect gift. It was really quite endearing. 

In a really negative way, of course. 

‘Roller skates, though-oh! Or a scooter!’ Lance pointed at the image. ‘They’re easy and also safe, right?’ 

‘Roller skates are more fun.’ 

‘Yes but more dangerous. She’s only little. I don’t want her falling and breaking something.’ 

‘They’ll never learn if you put them in a bubble of safety. It’s good to get bruised sometimes. Builds character.’ 

‘Fuck off, Keith. Go to the scooters let me see.’ 

Keith mumbled something about freedom of learning and developing as a human being but Lance mostly ignored it. He instead looked through as Keith slowly moved through the different models available. It was certainly cheaper than a bike. 

‘I think we’re on to something.’ 

‘It’s a good thing for outdoors. And they’re fun. I loved mine when I was a kid.’ 

‘You had a scooter?’ 

‘Yeah, before I got a skateboard.’ 

Lance snorted. 

‘What?’ 

‘You were a skater boy?’ 

Keith’s eyes narrowed. ‘Do not start singing.’ 

‘Hey! I wasn’t gonna!’ 

‘You  _always_ do. I hear you on the other side of the office building. Constantly. Every day.’ 

‘You’re exaggerating.’ 

‘Am I?’ 

‘Tell me more about your skater days, you rebel.’ 

Keith turned back to his phone, and in the dim light Lance swore he could see a pink dusting on the cheeks. ‘I dunno what you want to know. I had a skateboard, until eventually I learnt how to drive and got my motorbike and I don’t think I’ve touched my skateboard since.’ 

‘Wait-you have a  _motorbike_?’ 

‘Yeah, it’s how I get to work. It’s the red one outside.’ 

Lance knew the exact one. He saw it every morning on his way in. It was really cool. 

‘It’s why I wear leather jackets so often. Shiro gave me a safety lecture that one time.’ 

‘Damn,’ Lance muttered before he could stop himself, staring wide eyed into the inky depths in front of him. ‘That’s kinda hot.’ 

He went from naught to a hundred in a matter of seconds. 

Keith’s face filled with a bright red flush and his eyes widened before he dropped his phone and it landed with a loud  _smack_ straight onto his cheek. Lance scrambled up and began apologising profusely, asking if the man was okay and trying not to panic too much when he didn’t get a response. Instead he rushed back to the Help Point in the elevator and began to dial repeatedly until he heard the familiar sound of their building’s engineering guy echo through the room. 

_‘Hey, you guys alright in there?’_

‘Hunk!’ Lance felt a breath of relief. ‘Buddy, pal, it’s so good to hear you.’ 

There was a chuckle.  _‘You too, bro. Sorry it’s taking so long to get to you,_ _Shiro_ _insisted that I finished the work I was doing for_ _Thace_ _before I went down to help you, which, honestly? I thought was a_ _little weird. Like, you guys are trapped._ _In an elevator._ _I can’t hear Keith. Wait you haven’t killed Keith have you?’_

‘No! No, he’s here, he’s just-!’ Lance looked to see Keith curled into a ball looking away from him. ‘Having a nap. So do we have an ETA or something?’ 

_‘Oh!_ _Shiro_ _had something specific to ask if you asked that question hang on I wrote it down…where is…ah! Here we are-I think only Keith is_ _gonna_ _get it because I certainly don’t.’_

‘Lay it on me bud I’ll tell him when he wakes up.’ 

_‘He said if you ask for an ETA to ask if all was clear and honesty had been achieved?’_

Hunk was right. Lance had no idea what that was supposed to mean. 

_‘So when he wakes up and gives you an answer give me a call and I’ll get back to you on that ETA, yeah?’_

‘Wait a second,’ Lance moved closer to the speaker. ‘Are we being held here? Is Keith being blackmailed into something?’ 

_‘_ _Welp_ _, I do not have an answer to that question, sorry!_ _Later, bro!’_

The line went dead. Lance pressed the button again. 

It rang out. 

* * *

It took about five minutes for Keith to recover. Or at least it  _felt_ like five minutes. It was probably less than that. When he did he sat cross legged in the middle of the elevator while Lance propped himself against the side right by the control panel. Keith didn’t say anything, didn’t look at him, and thankfully didn’t get his phone back out to provide more light. 

‘So,’ Lance grimaced at the sound of his own voice breaking the silence. ‘Are you being awkward because of the question that Shiro’s blackmailing you with or are you being awkward because I called you hot?’ 

Keith sighed. His eyes flickered upwards. He tugged at his fringe. ‘They’re not exactly separate issues.’ 

‘How?’ 

There was a grumbling. ‘Shiro said earlier that we should take this time to…be productive and… _figure out_ whatever this weird thing we had going was.’ 

Lance felt his throat go dry. ‘Oh. Alright. That’s. So we are being held here?’ 

‘Probably. I think so,’ Keith sighed. ‘I’m going to be the worst employee I can possibly be just for him.’ 

‘So…’ he drawled. ‘What weird thing is he talking about? And how is it connected to me calling you hot?’ 

Keith groaned and flopped back with a thud. ‘Because!’ he grasped for words. ‘Because I guess it’s a mutual feeling? Or something? I don’t know!’ 

‘I have a sneaky suspicion that you do know.’ 

‘I’m leaning towards that earlier idea of killing you. Stabbing you said, right?’ 

Lance held up his hands in surrender. ‘Sorry! Sorry, it’s just…’ he bit down on his laughter. ‘When you say it’s a mutual feeling…?’ 

‘Why are you like this?’ 

‘Like what? Amazing? I know.’ 

‘You’re just fishing for compliments.’ 

‘Guilty as charged. So am I getting one?’ 

Keith groaned louder this time. ‘Yes! Fine! I think you are a reasonably attractive human being. There. Happy now?’ 

‘Ecstatic.’ 

‘Fuck this is embarrassing.’ 

‘Back to the weird thing. What exactly does Shiro think is going on?’ 

Keith propped himself up on his elbows. ‘He’s been trying to goad me into asking you out for like, two months.’ 

Lance’s brain stopped all functions. Breathing? What was that? He didn’t need to breathe. Unnecessary. 

‘I told him he was being ridiculous but he was so persistent. There is obviously nothing going on.’ 

‘You tried to shut the doors on me. After I asked you to hold them.’ 

‘Yeah, well…’ Keith gestured. ‘I did. You’re right.’ 

‘People who like other people don’t usually do that.’ 

‘Excactly!’ he pointed at Lance. ‘They don’t press every fucking button on the elevator when they know the other person is late either!’ 

‘We’ve talked about this. That was entirely your fault. You started it.’ 

Keith looked close to strangling him. He felt the familiar rush of satisfaction. But Keith wasn’t finished apparently: ‘They also don’t put salt packets into the sugar jar when they  _know_ the other person drinks their coffee with sugar!’ 

Now that was just mean. ‘They don’t completely blank the other person when they ask if the person wants a cup of coffee either.’ 

‘You’re not  _still mad_ about that, are you?’ 

‘Of course I am!’ Lance threw his arms in the air. ‘Oh look, I’m the great and mighty Keith, only  _I_ can make the perfect cup of coffee!’ 

‘You asked me if I wanted one from the coffee shop. Which you were going to. On your lunch break.’ 

‘Yes! That is what I asked thank you for clarifying!’ 

‘You asked  _me_ ,’ Keith insisted. ‘Not Shiro, even though Shiro was in the room at the time. You specifically came from the other side of the building to my side of the building in order to ask me if I wanted you to get me anything. That’s weird!’ 

‘How is that weird?! I was trying to make friends!’ 

‘Because-it could be easily construed!’ 

‘Are you for real?’ Lance felt like tearing his own hair out. ‘You constantly complain to Hunk that I hate you and then when I attempt to do something nice you blank me!’ 

‘Because I don’t want to get my hopes up!’ 

Lance stopped short. 

‘Also, I just want it to be stated for the record,’ Keith spoke to the room as a whole, looking up to where the security camera was. ‘Hunk is a terrible secret keeper and I am never confiding in him again!’ 

‘You mean to tell me that all this time I’ve been trying to get your attention and you’re only blanking me because of some misplaced fear that I don’t actually like you?’ 

Keith seemed a little out of breath. Lance  _felt_ a little out of breath. 

‘I do like you! Christ, I probably like you  _too much_ ,’ if it was honesty Shiro wanted, it was honesty he’d get. ‘I like how easily riled up you get when it comes to me. Like, most of the time I feel like I barely exist to you except in those moments where your every fibre is just focused only on  _me_ , and it makes me feel like maybe it’s not a complete waste of time.’ 

Lance turned to press the Help Point again as it started ringing. Keith sat in silence. Blanked. Again. 

_‘Hey Lance how goes that hones-!’_

‘I’m done,’ Lance snapped. ‘Honesty achieved. You can come get us now. Also, you can tell Shiro to shove his  _clear honesty_ up his-!’ 

‘I like you too.’ 

He stopped. There was the smallest robotic gasp. 

Keith was still sat there frozen in place, with wide eyes and a slack jaw. But he started to speak. ‘I really like it when you sing and I can hear it across the office. It’s one of the best parts of my day. I like how when you step into a room you make it light up.’ 

Lance could feel his heart in his throat, his stomach spinning in circles as he attempted to process the information. 

‘I’m sorry that…I’m not very good at showing it,’ Keith admitted. ‘And that I blank you. More than I should. I’m not very good at dealing with these sorts of emotions.’ 

‘You’re telling me.’ 

Keith rolled his eyes and huffed. ‘Wow, thanks. Here I am being vulnerable with you and you snark at me. Great start.’ 

Lance shuffled over on his knees, coming to a stop in front of Keith. ‘I’ll stop putting salt in the sugar jar.’ 

‘I’ll stop pretending not to notice you around the office.’ 

‘Truce?’ 

A lop sided smile broke out onto Keith’s face as Lance held out a hand. He shook it. ‘Truce.’ 

_‘I’d say that was a little more than a truce guys. That was_ _hella_ _gay.’_

‘Hunk?!’ Lance spun to look at the control panel. ‘Why are you still there?!’ 

_‘Come on man, you know I have a weakness for romantic stuff._ _Shiro_ _said that if Keith said yes to his question I can come get you early though, so that’s good at least, right?’_

Keith spoke up, clearing his throat. His eyes were trained on Lance, a mischievous glint to them. ‘You finish what you’re doing, Hunk. No rush.’ 

_‘Are you sure?’_

‘Yeah I mean as much as I love the idea of being alone with you right now the lift isn’t the most comfortable place.’ 

Keith chuckled. ‘Shiro made us wait. I feel it’s only fair we make him wait.’ 

‘You’re absolutely right. Hunk, that’s a negative on the honesty. There’s at least fifteen minutes worth of confessions that we have to get into right now. We’re in this for the long haul. You’re gonna have to sit tight and finish whatever it is you’re working on.’ 

_‘_ _Alrighty_ _then._ _You two have…fun? Not too much fun. Please. There’s a CCTV camera in this room that occasionally flips to the elevator and I can see you both so-!’_

Lance ignored his rambling friend in favour of facing Keith. ‘You gonna help me pick which scooter my niece deserves or what?’ 

The wide grin he got in return was blinding. ‘Gladly.’ 


End file.
